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[Page S3128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 633--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL MYALGIC
ENCEPHALOMYELITIS/CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY
Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Stabenow,
Mr. Booker, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Ms. Warren, Ms. Sinema, and Mr.
Cramer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
S. Res. 633
Whereas the National Academy of Medicine (referred to in
this preamble as ``NAM''), formerly known as the Institute of
Medicine, has found that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome (referred to in this preamble as ``ME/CFS'')
is ``a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease that
frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected
patients'';
Whereas, in the past, outbreaks of viruses, including
outbreaks of coronaviruses, have triggered an increase in ME/
CFS-like symptoms in individuals infected by those viruses;
Whereas--
(1) between 836,000 and 2,500,000 individuals of all ages,
races, and sexes in the United States are believed to be
afflicted with ME/CFS, and millions of additional individuals
are afflicted by ME/CFS worldwide; and
(2) the vast majority of individuals with ME/CFS are
undiagnosed or misdiagnosed;
Whereas ME/CFS is approximately 4 times more prevalent in
women than in men;
Whereas ME/CFS is a chronic disease with no known cure and
leaves \1/4\ of individuals with ME/CFS housebound or
bedbound for extended periods of time;
Whereas between 50 and 75 percent of individuals with ME/
CFS cannot work or attend school;
Whereas, in the United States, the economic toll of ME/CFS
is $51,000,000,000 per year, including as much as
$14,000,000,000 in medical costs and $37,000,000,000 in lost
productivity;
Whereas the cause of ME/CFS is unknown, there is no
diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and there is no treatment for ME/
CFS approved by the Food and Drug Administration;
Whereas NAM has noted a ``paucity of research'' on ME/CFS
and that ``more research is essential'';
Whereas individuals with ME/CFS struggle to find doctors to
care for them, and ME/CFS is included in less than \1/3\ of
medical school curricula;
Whereas, in recognition of the dearth of research on ME/CFS
and the profound impact that the disease has on individuals
with ME/CFS and their loved ones and caretakers, the National
Institutes of Health is ``committed to unraveling the
underlying biologic cause(s) of ME/CFS as swiftly as
possible, and promoting research that will inform the
development of effective strategies for treatment and
prevention of this devastating condition''; and
Whereas, in 2020, May 12 is recognized as International ME/
CFS Awareness Day: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the goals of International Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day;
(2) recognizes and affirms the commitment of the United
States to--
(A) supporting research and medical education for Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and
(B) promoting awareness among health professionals and the
public about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome; and
(3) recognizes the continued importance of--
(A) health care professionals and medical researchers who
care for individuals with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome; and
(B) individuals who work to discover the cause of, and
develop and improve the diagnosis of, treatments for, and a
cure for, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
____________________
